Mushfiqur ton takes Bangladesh to 261 vs SL

Dubai : Mushfiqur Rahim hit a superb hundred under pressure as Bangladesh scored a competitive 261 against Sri Lanka despite Lasith Malinga wreaking havoc on his international comeback in the Asia Cup opener on Saturday.

Mushfiqur scored a career-best 144 off 150 balls with 11 boundaries and four sixes, his sixth hundred in ODIs.

Save 131-run stand with Mohammed Mithun (63) for the third wicket, the former skipper didn’t get any assistance from other batsmen as the wily Malinga showed that he is still a force to reckon with.

Malinga, who last played against India in a home series September 2017, took 4/23 on his return.

Opener Tamim Iqbal’s heroic act will also be remembered by one and all as he came out to bat despite having retired hurt with a fractured wrist. Tamim allowed Mushfiqur to have one final blast during the slog overs.

Once Malinga and off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva (2/38) reduced Bangladesh to 203/8, Mushfiqur shielded no 11 Mustafizur Rahaman (10) during the 26-run stand.

Once Mustafizur was out, Tamim removed his hand-cast and came out in order to allow his partner to play the final three overs.